00 Gauge In The Garden: Summer Colours...

Hi all. Today, with the car out of action for some engine work, I decided to tick off one of the many items on my ever growing "To-Do List". The task in question was tidying up the shed and, once the job was done, I couldn't help but get a couple of trains on the move. The Garden Railway has only seen the light a couple of times this year and thus this is the first and possibly only post about it. For more recent readers, the Garden Railway started life in 2005 as a small oval of track set around the flowerbed at the top of the garden. In 2006, with the original circuit having proved very short with little chance of giving the engines a good run, we extended. The extension took the line down the edge of the fence towards the house before rounding a tight curve. A fairly stiff climb then ensued as the trains climbed back up the garden towards the shed. Its a basic set up: analogue control and with manual point-work. (We tried motors at one stage but they didn't last long). Today, a few engines made some steady laps of the garden, hauling varying loads...

I thought I'd get the camera out and record a few snaps of the goings on as, quite simply, you never know if or when there will be a "next time". When I was younger, I would spend every waking moment of free time out in the garden playing with the 00 gauge trains. Back then, in my school years, I had a paper round and the proceeds of that funded the slow growth of the collection of engines that traversed the garden. At present there are over 30 locomotives and many, many coaches and wagons. Some of the models are from my first train recollections, including the LNER rake of coaches which was in my first train-set at age 5, whilst other items are much more recent. One model I love is the Bachmann C1 Class which I bought a year or two ago just as "one to keep" (mainly for the reason it looks like the Maisie!)...

"GNR 251 of Ivatt's Large Boiler Atlantic Class"

My stalwart Bachmann 56xx heads down the garden with a colourful mixed freight...

I thought it would be nice to take a few pictures today as the garden has really, quite literally, blossomed in the recent weeks. We replanted a lot of the beds earlier in the Spring and dug out pretty much everything that was there before. The new Summer plants and flowers have now grown nicely and provide almost a jungle effect as the little trains make their way up and down. I haven't had any of my scenery bits and pieces out for a good long time but in some ways it doesn't really feel necessary as the flowers give the trains something to contrast with...

"Hornby 0-6-0 J94/Austerity No68075 On A Mixed Working"

The much photographed Sutherland Bank section has seen the repair of the once forlorn looking Windmill that used to be a regular sight in pictures of the model railway...

The line is quite undulating in places, with the wood laid down originally as the base having swollen and contracted over the years. There are some stiff gradients and, unlike with steam engines, the electric models just find their own way at their own pace. The climb away from the house towards the shed is particularly steep in both directions of the circuit. The Atlantic is seen below pulling through the Chilvers Loop (laid in 2007) where trains used to pass eachother or run round prior to a return trip. Its funny how the flowers seem to be overtaking the place as the little train climbs upgrade...

"Jungle Train With 251"

The Battle of Britain Class 4-6-2 hauls the little seen Pullman Dining Train Rake...

The varying garden ornaments have always provided animal apocalypse shots...

After an hour or two of running the little trains on the old 00 gauge metals I decided to call it a day. It was nice to see a few engines out and about, using the railway which I once used more often than I can remember. If anyone is interested in seeing more of the garden railway, back in its so called "heyday", there is plenty to read about it on this blog and also plenty to see on YouTube. You can see just how much the garden has grown-up lately by the shot below. That's the old turntable spur from the junction of the old Ashford Station. The electrically operated turntable was there very often once upon a time and the area was surrounded by two now removed conifers...

As always, many thanks for reading folks and I hope that the 00 gauge garden railway has provided a bit of interest, if any. The railway represents a different side to the hobby that I used to do so much with but it does just go to show how time and interests move on. My ambition (for want of a better word) one day is to make a small 00 layout so I can do something with the scenery bits I have stored away and perhaps reduce the currently high risk of these engines getting horribly smashed up in this outdoor environment. However, time is the key and time is not in abundance at the moment! Cheers all, Sam...